Sennelier Artists Egg Tempera

This is the authentic formulation used since the Renaissance. Much of the religious panel painting done between the 12th and 15th century was done in this delicate and subtle medium, which is capable of detailed and complex effects. Sennelier Egg Tempera is famous as the medium used by Marc Chagall in many of his most spectacular works.

Egg tempera is a water soluble and highly archival painting medium, wonderful for fine art painting, restoration, and icon painting. It's perfect as an underpainting for oil painters, or for artists seeking a highly pigmented, professional alternative to oil paints and solvents.

Sennelier egg tempera has working qualities and a finish that is only found in authentic egg tempera made in the traditional manner. These delicate colors hold their brush strokes, and do not change when dry. Egg tempera can be worked with a brush or a palette knife (diluted with water) on non-greasy supports like acrylic primed canvas or paper.

Impasto techniques are not recommended for egg tempera. Use varnish over egg tempera paintings for an oil painting like appearance. Sennelier recommends giving a finished egg tempera painting a coating of charcoal or pastel fixative before applying a final oil paint picture varnish.

Sennelier Egg Tempera is an excellent paint. great pigment density, consistent from batch to batch. I use egg tempera as an alternative to either oil or acrylic paint, and this is the superior brand on the market. This brand is generally superior in all its products, and I would trust anything they produce.

This is a follow-up to my previous review regarding the problem with the tube caps getting stuck with hardened paint around it resulting in split tubes. Solution: soak the tube cap-side down in just enough warm water to submerge the cap. Wait until the hardened paint around the cap softens. It will take several minutes and occasionally try gently twisting the cap until it gives -- and it will, eventually. This will save you from twisting a stuck cap too forcefully and save you the tube. Hope this tip helps.

I bought about 20 different colors of Sennelier's egg tempera and 2 tubes hardened while another 2 tubes had their caps stuck, and one leaked. The tubes are very soft and pliable, so once a cap is stuck, twisting the cap will also twist the tube at which point the tube will split. When this happened, I had to cut the bottom of the tube and squeeze out the remaining paint into a small airtight plastic container. I did the same for the paint that had hardened in the tubes, but the paint I managed to squeeze out was very gritty. The one tube that leaked stunk so bad I had to lyzolize my paintbox! This brand of egg tempera emulsion is convenient but won't replace traditional egg tempera. I also wish Sennelier would package these differently to minimize the problems that I experienced.

The price of this product compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:

Average

Bottom LineNo, I would not recommend this to a friend

Merchant response: We apologize for the issues you encountered with this product. If you are not completely satisfied with the quality of the merchandise you receive, you are entitled to a full replacement or refund. We ask that you contact our Customer Service Department at 800-723-2787 within 30 days so that the exchange, refund, or credit transaction can be arranged to your satisfaction.

I've been painting with tempera for several years now, and, while I make the majority of my own paints from pigment now, I always keep certain selections from the Sennelier palette on hand. The advantage of these pre-mixed tempera paints is that they are pretty much perfectly tempered (and that's the trick for tempera artists) so that they make an excellent way for beginners to learn what properly mixed tempera paint looks and acts like. It's a much more forgiving way to learn a tough technique. The advantage lies chiefly in the fact that this paint does not require the fuss of a binding emulsion. It's already in there and stabilized. Just thin with a little water, or perhaps a little white wine. Even for experienced tempera painters these paints are an excellent tool, especially for glazing. All the colors are really excellent, but my favorites by far are the ochres and the reds, the saturation of which is almost hypnotic.

And the Sennelier name is synonymous with a tradition of excellence. This brand has been the paint of choice for more than one great artist. Buy them. Use them. They're worth the money.